As much as I’d like winter cycling to be an extreme sport it’s not. Much of my opinion can be summed up by UrbanCountry’s post who chides us North Americans on our tendency to over-complicate.

Is it something seasonal cyclists should consider? Yes, winter cycling is akin to going for a long walk in the cold. For much of the winter, roads are dry. It’s just a bit colder so dress as if you were going for a long walk.

Is it dangerous? No more than driving a car or walking in the winter. Depending on the road conditions you may wish to stay away from busy roads or depending on the weather it may be prudent to stay off the roads.

Do you need special equipment? You may want winter tires, a toque, some gloves, good shoes, ensure you’re visible (working headlights and rear tail lights) and ensure you’re bike is properly maintained ….. sounds like driving again.

Doesn’t sound too controversial, we’ll leave that to Grapes. No sense being ‘Fordian’, all we want to do is raise awareness that for some there is an alternative to the car.

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12 thoughts on “AM 570 – Winter Cycling Interview”

About the danger of winter cycling…Yesterday while out on the roads, for the most part roads were clear or close to being clear.
ALL of the sidewalks were covered in one inch of pure ice, so I would consider cycling safer then walking…Just as long as you take your time and don’t take corners fast.

As for tires, I wouldn’t say winter tires as much as I would encourage people to get an old mountain bike with at least 2″ wide tires.

One complication that I recently came up with that I really like is clear lenses for my sunglasses. Keeps the wind from drying out my eyes and protects me somewhat from the snow blowing off car rooftops as they go by.

I have some wool gloves with leather palms, and that has been fine for my hands.
I have a thin tuque that fits under my helmet, and keeps my ears warm.

My only concern is footwear – I feel like I shouldn’t have to wear giant boots because I’m not walking in much snow, but any normal shoes seem to get soaked. The cycling booties I’ve seen seem kind of expensive – anyone have any ideas?